Ben Ali`s plane lands in Jeddah: Saudi source

"The plane with President Ben Ali on board has landed in Jeddah," the Saudi source, who declined to be identified, told AFP.

The source did not give further details on the people who accompanied Ben Ali on the flight.
An airport source said meanwhile that Ben Ali left the plane and went to the airport`s VIP lounge.

Ben Ali fled the country on Friday amid a wave of deadly social protests in a dramatic end to his 23 years in power that is wholly unprecedented for the Arab world.

His immediate destination was shrouded in mystery and fuelled much speculation in the media, with some reports suggesting he was heading to France, while others said he was going to Malta or Italy.

On Friday his plane had flown over Malta as it headed further north after the Tunisian president fled his embattled country, officials in Malta said.

"The plane made contact with the control tower asking for permission to enter Malta`s air space. The plane is going north," a foreign minister spokesman told AFP.

At the same time rumours swept the Internet suggesting that Ben Ali was hoping to find exile in Malta or Italy while other reports suggested he would make his way to France.

In Valletta, Foreign Minister Tonio Borg said: "Ben Ali is not coming to Malta and the government has no indications he`ll be coming to Malta." Foreign Affairs Minister Tonio Borg said.

The Italian foreign ministry said Ben Ali was "absolutely not" on his way to Rome, and the rumours were "unfounded."

France also said it does not want Ben Ali to seek a bolthole on its territory and the foreign ministry in Paris formally confirmed that the ousted Tunisian president had not asked for asylum.

Late on Friday a civilian plane thought to be carrying Ben Ali refuelled at Cagliari airport in Sardinia, Italian government sources said.

The passengers stayed on the plane during the refuelling in southern Italy and told authorities there were "two pilots and a hostess," onboard, the sources told AFP.

Italian government sources later said that Ben Ali was not on that plane.

Meanwhile rumours circulated that Ben Ali`s wife, Leila, was in Dubai.

According to unconfirmed report the Tunisian first lady returned to Dubai where she had spent a week in late December with her husband and other family members. They had reportedly left the city-state on December 27. (*)